On the combination of USEtox® and SimpleBox 4 Nano models for the derivatization of size-dependent characterization factors for engineered nanomaterials

¹ INKOA SISTEMAS, Ribera de Axpe 11, Edificio D1 Dpto 208. 48950 Erandio, Spain
² CBET Research Group, Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology; Faculty of Science and Technology and Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology PIE, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain
³ EKOTEK, Ribera de Axpe 11, Edificio D1 Dpto 208. 48950 Erandio, Spain
⁴ Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Location Zeist, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ Zeist, The Netherlands
⁵ Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research TNO, Location Utrecht, PO Box 80015, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
⁶ Institute for Research and Technology in Agrifood, IRTA, Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Spain

^* Corresponding author: maria@inkoa.com or mablazkezsan@gmail.com

Abstract

Even if it has been claimed that Life Cycle Assessment is an essential tool to analyze, evaluate, understand and manage the environmental and health impacts of nanotechnology, few studies incorporate characterization factors (CFs) for human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity accounting for the impacts of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) beyond their manufacturing stage. The objective of the present work consisted in identifying the correspondence between the information required and outputs provided by the USEtox® consensus model (which is not nanospecific) and the SimpleBox4Nano model (which accounts for nanospecific processes, e.g. aggregation, attachment and dissolution for Fate Factor derivatization) in order to assess the possibility of integrating the two to derive size-dependent CFs for the varying sizes of ENMs throughout their life cycle. The possibility to combine and integrate the two models appeared to be limited since there is no absolute correspondence between the two of them.